High School Travel Call (Video)

[BlueDevilRef]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I didn't mean to imply that you thought you were. It's just hard being a first year basketball official, and many quit after the first year because they are thrown into these chaotic middle school games and left on their own for the most part. In our association this year, they implemented a new set of requirements we all have to meet in order to become eligible to work post-season. One of the requirements are 2 education points. One way to get an education point is for a veteran to work a middle school game with a new official and help them. I think it's a good policy so that more often than not, we have fewer games with 2 first/second year officials thrown to the wolves. Middle school games are the toughest to officiate, in my opinion. The coaches don't know the rules and the play is erratic at best, and the parents are relentless. We are in dire need of officials in this area and we can't afford to keep losing the young ones.

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

[Dad]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

Possibly in your second, and definitely in your third you should be able to start carrying new officials. How many games do you officiate a year? Many will probably disagree with me, but when I first started I was doing 300+ games a year just to get reps in. Looks at plays and reading has been far more valuable to me, overall, than working with vets. Sure, it's great, and you learn some neat tricks, but then you have do decipher which "senior" guys are good and which aren't so good. It's a giant headache I solve by just watching top tier officials officiate. Then seeing how I differ from them. Do I want to change the difference? etc.

[BryanV21]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

First of all, sorry to others that we're basically hijacking this thread, but I wanted to add something that we have here in central Ohio.

When I started officiating I joined our mentoring program, where myself and a couple of other new officials were paired with a Varsity crew. So while the three of us worked the Frosh and/or JV games, the varsity crew would get there early and watch us. Then, at halftime and after the game(s), they would come in and critique us. Finally, after our game(s) were finished we'd watch the varsity crew work, and talk with them at halftime and after the game to learn more.

I'm incredibly thankful for this program as I think it's made me a much better official than I would have been had I been on my own. And our district is known as having the best officials in the state, which is at least partially thanks to programs like this.

[ltllng]

Funny I see this and it is old gym back in high school. (where I was cut freshman year and never played)

I might not have a travel in real time as it could be a marginal call, but the foot drag seen the second time you watch causes me to say travel.

It is questionable that the right foot is the pivot as with watching in real time from the angle of the trail, you could say that the gathering of the ball is after the right foot is off the ground.